Mendy Garron of the National Marine Fisheries Service said Thursday that the endangered finback whale appeared to have stopped breathing. The animal drifted away at high tide but then washed ashore again in the morning.

A necropsy will be conducted this week to determine why the whale died.

The whale was first discovered Wednesday morning stranded on the bay side of Breezy Point. The whale was alive but severely emaciated.

Garron said the next step after the necropsy will be to figure out how to dispose of the whale. She said heavy equipment would be needed, and that the whale would have to be buried or taken to a landfill that could accommodate it.